2016 Ausonia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Apollo 750 ml

This Italian Stunner Had Wine Access HQ Buzzing

The 2016 Ausonia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Apollo is precisely why everyone at Wine Access HQ perks up when our Wine Team convenes around the tasting table. Because when our pros discover an irresistible value, they send out an office-wide email to see who wants in—and this winter, no wine has created more buzz than the 2016 Ausonia Apollo, a meaty, ruby-colored powerhouse composed of 100% Montepulciano from one of Italy’s hottest undersung regions.

Hailing from Abruzzo on Italy’s southern Adriatic coast, the 2016 Apollo was lauded by Vinous, which praised the “big, strapping wine” and its “considerable refinement and grace” in their 91-point review. Providing power without being overripe (alcohol is just 13.5%), Apollo is for those who want an Old World red that has the complexity of Sangiovese, the structure of Barolo, and substantial meat on its bones. If that’s you, then this is your new weeknight wine. It’s a true discovery that packs tons of blackberry and blueberry, savory black olive, herbs, and game into an under-$20 bottle This a wine to stockpile for any and every night of the week. 

We should all be thrilled that the Abruzzo name does not ring the same bells as Chianti Classico or Barolo, because that regional cachet doesn’t come cheap. Abruzzo is still under the American wine radar, as is the area’s flagship grape, the ruby-red and meaty Montepulciano. This late-ripening variety thrives in the confluence of conditions created by Abruzzo’s warm sun, rolling foothills, and proximity to the Adriatic sea.

The 24-acre Ausonia property is protected to the west by the Gran Sasso, the tallest peak in the Apennine mountain range, which walls Abruzzo off from the rest of Italy. To the east, Ausonia is exposed to the salt air and sea breezes of the Adriatic, and the operation has had a strict ethos from day one: The butterfly on the label is not only a nod to winemaker Simone Binelli’s entomologist father, but also to as a reminder to strive for harmony with Abruzzo’s natural beauty.

In keeping with that philosophy, the clay and limestone vineyards of Ausonia have been farmed organically since the winery’s founding. Apollo is hand-harvested, fermented in tank using natural yeasts, then bottled unfiltered. The result is a bargain blockbuster that is fantastic with tons of foods, including Abruzzo staple dishes like tagliatelle with lamb ragù or shaved leg of lamb with creamy polenta and wild mushrooms. No matter what you decide to pair it with, the 2016 Apollo is a straight-up steal.